Monday, December 28, 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

There are many sceneries I want to go visitBut I’d never pick the Pyramid and the Great Wall.Such gigantic monument of human markRecorded generations’ slavery and culture tragedy.One is a giant tomb, a hell hole of Pharaoh’s dynasty,Whipping his people to lay up countless stone blocks,That gradually, these massive piled up dead stonesBuried the king and everyone who stood around him.How one man’s funeral, the whole nation is sacrificed?!

Another is the Great Wall, how great it is?Since the First Emperor tyrant Qin to present,That all Chinese emperors forced his people to labor,Building a giant long wall blocking the whole nation,In the name of protecting ‘his’ people thru this imprisonment,So he could forever sit on his throne and enjoy his reign,Even pigs and cows do have liberty to moan or howl,And dogs and cats exercise their daily rights to see the outside world,But no, not Chinaman, they were all born blind, deaf and dumb,Sitting behind the thick and tall, this endless great fucking wall,They ate, produced and labored all their life, generation and generationTo maintain our nation’s pride, to make sure our Wall stands forever,Which truly a disgrace, our ancestors’ embarrassment,That when Greeks were building their theaters everywhere,Their massive balanced marble pillars stood in all corners,And their thinkers and talents teaching civilization to reason,To vote for their treasure and budget, we our Chinese peopleWere so wise and planned to install a Great Wall.

I wonder, How proud every emperor stood on his Great Wall,Watching his vast fertile land, the green countless mountain ranges,The many silvery rivers and streams, and his tamed people and flocks,All blocked and stapled, stocked for his pleasure and use,Even seasons and moon and sun are circling around him,All these, all things, all people, and all generationsAre all belong to him! All belong to him!What a Great Wall!

Monday, December 14, 2009

That day you held a piece red bandCovered my eyes and covered the skyYou asked me, what I sawI said I saw HappinessSuch feeling really made me wellIt let me forget I had no place to dwell

You asked me where I wanted to goI said I wanted to get on your roadI couldn’t see you nor the front roadAnd my hands were also held by you

You asked me what I thoughtI said I let you be my masterI felt you were not ironBut liked iron strong and sternI felt you got blood on your shirtCoz your hands were so warmSuch feeling really made me wellIt let me forget I had no place to dwell

You asked me what I thoughtI said I wanted to get on your roadI felt that place was not desertCoz I couldn’t see the earth cracksI felt I wanted to drink waterBut your mouth covered up my lipsI felt that place was not desertCoz I couldn’t see the earth cracksI felt I wanted to drink waterBut your mouth covered up my lipsI couldn’t move nor could I sobCoz my body was already dried upI should forever accompany youCoz I know all about your sorrowsDoo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-

Note:This song was first performed by Cui Jian after his banned period due to his June 4th involvement, his first concert when he eventually allowed to do in China, so I guess he must wrote this great piece to what he experienced and felt, when he performed this song, he used a red band blinded his eyes and sang. Any reader can relate this lyrics after his future and own rights been robbed by someone else, most times, red means blood, earth means nation, sky means heaven and justice in Chinese culture. This song I love it, listen every moning.

那天是你用一块红布That day you held a piece red band蒙住我双眼也蒙住了天covered my eyes and covered the sky你问我看见了什么you asked me, what I saw我说我看见了幸福I said I saw Happiness这个感觉真让我舒服Such feeling really made me well它让我忘掉我没地儿住it let me forget I had no place to live

你问我还要去何方You asked where I wanted to go我说要上你的路I said I wanted to get on your road看不见你也看不见路I couldn’t see you nor the road我的手也被你攥住and my hands were also held by you

你问我还在想什么You asked me what I thought我说我要让你做主I said let you be my master我感觉你不是铁I felt you were not iron却象铁一样强和烈but liked iron strong and stern我感觉你身上有血I felt you got blood on your shirt因为你的手是热呼呼coz your hands were so warm这个感觉真让我舒服Such feeling really made me well它让我忘掉我没地儿住it let me forget I had no place to live

你问我还在想什么You asked me what I thought我说我要上你的路I said I wanted to get on your road我感觉这不是荒野I felt that place was no desert却看不见这地已经干裂coz I couldn’t see the earth cracks我感觉我要喝点水I felt I wanted to drink water可你的嘴将我的嘴堵住but your mouth covered up my lips我感觉这不是荒野I felt that place was no desert却看不见这地已经干裂coz I couldn’t see the earth cracks我感觉我要喝点水I felt I wanted to drink water可你的嘴将我的嘴堵住but your mouth covered up my lips我不能走我也不能哭I couldn’t move nor could I sob因为我的身体已经干枯coz my body was already dried up我要永远这样陪伴着你I should forever accompany you因为我最知道你的痛苦coz I know about all of your sorrow嘟~嘟~~嘟~~~Doo-Doo-Doo-嘟~嘟~~嘟~~~Doo-Doo-Doo-嘟~嘟~~嘟~~~Doo-Doo-Doo-嘟~嘟~~嘟~~~Doo-Doo-Doo-

I translated the Mandarin lyric to English, tried to arrange the English words fit the melody of this song, and retain the original meaning of the Chinese lyric.

This is very beautiful song, melody, strength, beat, and poetic power, somehow always reminds me of Li Po’s poem Drink Alone Under the Moon, I can imagine how Tang Dynasty rocked, banged, howled on the 90’s stage, maybe Li Po had same spirit as Tang Dynasty Band sang this lyrical headstrong song, this spirit fits both Li Po and the band members. I think they have better hair than Li Po:)

Rolling rolling the Long River, to the east she elapses
Her spoondrift wash away all the heroes
Right and wrong, victory or lost all disperse as I turn back to look
But the green mountains still stand
And under the red setting sun,
(I wonder) how many times we’ve viewed such scene?

There’s a gray hair fisherman cooking in his boat
He used to see the autumn moon and feel the spring wind
A pot of cheap wine he greets his passerby with merry
And shares all the matters of past and present
That all become laughter and chat.

Heroes under heavens
All brave with skill as wind and thunder, so invincible
They’re righteous and ambitious that never be afraid

Heroes under heavens
All royal and frank, and models of their word
Their will hangs above as sun and moon, guarding the land
Whether in past or now, winds never shake heaven, earth and moon
They renew this land from the old of past
Thru history, no one forever stands
But a loyal heart always shines light into people’s mind.
All and all, this world and matters never cease
Heaven and earth that no one can ever escape
And the moon of the past was not all different
Tonight, she looks upon my cup like all past affairs.

Moon dream, so quiet and deep
Silver frosty fog, fair soul floated and dispersed
So dreary and lonely, I wandered at this long dark night
The wind blew, flower shed, I looked at sky and sang
Where are you among the clear sparkling broken pearls?
Tranquil water rippling in pond, the moon smashed and gone
My heart like spring well shook, this moment and last night
My thoughts searched everywhere in this vast firmament
But moon already wend to the west, how I could forget
You were by my side, we shared so much joy
And now so much grief, it never would be the same
Moon and your shadow joined and parted, how much joy
How much wandering as the wind past by
Cloud and your shadow like a dream, how could I forget
You were by my side, we shared so much joy
And now so much grief, it never would be the same
Moon and your shadow joined and parted, how much joy
How much wandering as I looked up the moon
With my flute I sang you my tribute, how I could forget
You were by my side, we shared so much joy
And now so much grief, my night never be the same
Oh- oh- oh- Oh- oh- oh- Oh- oh- oh-
I want to hold you, I want to hold you, I want to hold you

This most touching song, and sad. There are some tradition that Chinese family and friend sing elegy to their past member, melody more like dreadful crying mourning, I heard two, I was scared, couldn’t endure their howling that tear up ear drum. But I never thought any rock band could work a piece so sad and beautiful like this song, the melody, the lyrics, and sing out of authentic emotion.

Note:
Why I like Tang Dynasty Band, Again Band (Lun Hui), Cui Jian, Spring and Autumn Band, Xu Wei, Zheng Jun… and many many Chinese Rock and Metal bands. Oh, I love RocknRoll and metal, Led Zeppelin is the greatest, their music songs so different comparing to other bands, no disrespect to others, it’s just my opinion.

(Another note:

Why Rock is so widely accepted by people as an art?

There reasons:

Rock music involves in three art forms that rooted back to our art origin.

1) Music that played simple beats that appreciated by our ancestors, and anyone nowadays teenage would fall for it, from Blues and Folks that all goes back to African music. And no one needs any art education to appreciate Rock.
2) This form of music involves dancing, that in ancient time, all music are accompanied with dance.
3) Lyrics, simple poem or verse that can be sung by everyone and mostly all sing out aloud together, not Opera or musical shows that only a few professional can hit the melody and note.

In ancient time, people only have four activities, hunt, eat, party, sleep; just like today, we work, eat, (watch TV or play instrument or read…), sleep.

Three basic art form, music, dance and poetry all expressed in one form, usually after every dinner, and such art form all composed upon people’s daily work and life, like hunting, warring, harvest, death, of course after the dance, they have sex and go back sleep:) more like RocknRoll party today:)

So we probably all know why Rock is loved by every culture and everyone, it is our root.)

And Chinese rock band are inherited a treasure from our ancestors, the Chinese Poets!
First, the language is invented into each toned picture, and the poetic form is so easy to grow into a form, which means it’s much easier to write lyrics for one melody in Chinese. And not only that, all these artists and song writers have million poems resource to pick for lyrics, and all of them are educated in such system, and they are so talented that they don’t even realized that ancient poets already done the lyrics.

Also, 2008 Olympic ceremony, Mr. Zhang Yimuo done a great job, but without a deep art culture I don’t think any director can entertain audiences for 3 hours, maybe Mr. Shakespeare and a few.

Okay, let’s get back to why I like Chinese rock and metal, the sound and melody are young and fresh with beats that pumps my blood and bangs my head, the lyrics, oh mine the lyrics that these few creative artists put all great classical poems into nowadays music, that old wine into new wineskins:) god that’s rocking!

Especially, Tang Dynasty, not only they put classical poetry into their melody, they also use the traditional Chinese instruments in their thing, Guzheng, Guqin, and Again Lun Hui band use Pipa for one of their so-good song that called Wind Fire Yangzhou Road, that its lyric is poem of great Song poet. And all their songs sound so attractively from melody and lyrics.

I translated one of Tang Dynasty’s hot song, Epic, any reader would finds the lyric are unmatchable, only a few lyrics are poetic I find nowadays, Stairway is so good, Pink have some, and Hotel Cali is cool, and a few others. But Tang Dynasty really creative, I guess only Chinese like my age group would appreciate both their music and lyrics.

I put this song’s video link here and following a few their other good songs:

Ps.
I am indebted too our ancient poets, as the way I look at and put down poems, but I know have not obtained all of their treasure yet, only their little toys, I am still a baby in poetry, I am only proud that I get their love to poetry and art that they pass down to me, even I don’t write or compose well, but the love they pass down and I hold is more than enough. Even though I would never look for a publisher, or published, or priced, prized or awarded, or whatever I am very much happy that I have love for what poetry and art what’s really worth.

I am sure Tang Dynasty people and artists and poets all appreciate Zhuo, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing poets. They are so great! They are the same as Homer, Shakespeare, Mozart, Beethoven… they all belong to everyone, west or east. Rockstars are the same!

My Chinese poem for this band:

贊唐朝樂隊
by Laijon Liu 20091217

長髮飄飄走四方
金聲高歌響路旁
雷電吉他翻雲雨
滾石鑼鼓震天河
古箏綿綿敘演義
絲絲舊琴泣知音
太陽送別異鄉客
婉啼月夢回唐朝

English Translation:

A Tribute to Tang Dynasty Band
By Laijon Liu 20091217

Their long hair flow everywhere they go
Their metal voice sings all along the road
Lightning guitar riffs bring cloud and rain
Rolling drum and gong unleash the Milky Way
Their guzheng echoes its waves, Epic retold
Their guqin strings vibrate, weeping for a friend
The Sun Farewell a Guest From Other Places
Beautiful Caw Moon Dream Return To Tang Dynasty

Note:
This poem is for a Hard Rock & Metal band
They are musician and poets,
And put Chinese poetry and traditional instrument
Into their progressive music art.
For more info. Search Amazon.com for
Tang Dynasty Epic
Tang Dynasty A Dream Return to Tang Dynasty

Chinese:

演义 Epic
唐朝 by Tang Dynasty Band

滚滚长江东逝水
Rolling rolling the Long River, to the east she elapses
浪花淘尽英雄
her spoondrift wash away all the heroes
是非成败转头空
Right and wrong, victory or lost all disperse as I turn back to look
青山依旧在
But green mountains still stand
几度夕阳红
And under the red setting sun, how many times we have viewed

白发渔樵江渚上
there’s a gray hair fisherman cooking in his boat
惯看秋月春风
He used to see the autumn moon and feel the spring wind
一壶浊酒喜相逢
A pot of cheap wine he greets his passerby with merry
古今多少事
And shares all the matters of past and present
都付笑谈中
That all become laughter and chat.

天下英雄
Heroes under heavens
气侠风雷自无敌
all brave with skill as wind and thunder, so invincible
义胆雄心应无惧
They’re righteous and ambitious that never be afraid

天下英雄
Heroes under heavens
忠直豪杰言无隐
all royal and frank, and models of their word
志垂日月保江山
their will hangs above as sun and moon, guarding the land
古今八风吹不动天地月
whether in past or now, winds never shake heaven, earth and moon
改尽这江山昔旧
they renew this land from the old of past
自古人生谁无死
Thru our history, no one shall forever stand
留取丹心照汗青
But a loyal heart always shines light into people’s mind.
纷纷世事无穷尽
All and all, this world and matters never cease
天地茫茫不可逃
Heaven and earth that no one can ever escape
古月怅然是尽非
And the moon of the past was not all different
今月风情往事怀
Tonight, she looks upon my cup like the past matters.